Sebastian Vettel insists current Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene is the right man to lead the Italian outfit to success, amid speculation he could be replaced following their recent struggles.
Vettel reckons Arrivabene is a major factor in Ferrari's recent revival, which has allowed them to fight for pole positions and race wins, off the back of a disappointing 2016 campaign.
However, with recent reliability struggles handing the title to Mercedes and putting Vettel's rival Lewis Hamilton within touching distance of a fourth championship, there have been suggestions Arrivabene could be replaced by engine boss Mattia Binotto.
Vettel has thrown his support behind the former Marlboro man and when he was asked if wanted him to remain in his current post, he replied: "Absolutely. What is his strength? Look at the results, look at where Ferrari was after 2014, how competitive Ferrari was in 2014 and how in unreasonable shape it was.
"The spirit was down. He is the key person responsible for bringing that back, to open things up and change things that were done for 20 years before that.
"He has an innovative and creative way of thinking, he is the right man, he is a good leader, he is well respected by all the people – no matter what level of the company. Absolutely I am a fan.
"If you look at the results, they are coming. This year we would have liked it to be a bit different, but these things happen – we're still growing the team, growing the culture, we are still on that journey.
He added: "The expectation is always high. We have made massive steps in the last three years and we have to continue to make those steps.
"Where we have gone 15-16, through '16, and for '17, things are heading in the right way, and he is a key person for that."
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